Polar bear cub makes his debut at Toronto Zoo.
A three month old male polar bear cub is introduced to the public at the Toronto Zoo Friday. The cub was was born at the zoo on Oct. 11, 2011, but was rejected by its mother Aurora.
Staff photo/DAN PEARCE
A special member of the Toronto Zoo's wildlife family made his debut Friday morning.
The three-and-a-half month old male polar bear cub is now on display in the new outdoor den in the zoo's polar bear exhibit. He had a tough journey of survival after being born premature and then being rejected by his mother.
The as of yet unnamed cub, was one of three cubs born to Aurora on Oct. 11. One cub was reportedly eaten by its mother and another who was injured later succumbed to its injuries.
Zoo staff intervened and the surviving cub was uninjured.
Following his birth, the newborn cub weighing only 700 grams was immediately placed into an incubator in the Intensive Care Unit of the Zoo's Wildlife Health Centre, and round-the-clock monitoring began.
For the past three and a half months, staff have focused on care of the cub, tending to his every need. Veterinary staff monitored his health closely to ensure he was receiving all of the necessary requirements to survive and grow strong. He was fed an artificial polar bear milk formula with an infant bottle, which he accepted readily. While early on the cub did experience some close calls, he has achieved, right from the start, a strong and consistent growth weight, and now weighs approximately 17 kg.
"This has been an interesting and challenging case for the zoo and a valiant and dedicated team effort of both the Wildlife Health Centre and Wildlife Care staff," said John Tracogna, the zoo's CEO.
"Ultimately, it has been a rewarding journey for everyone involved, and we are happy to introduce an active and healthy polar bear cub, our new Arctic ambassador to help share our conservation message with our visitors."
There are few documented cases of humans rearing a cub from such an early age.
Some of the major milestones the cub has achieved include: at two weeks, the cub's skin colour began to change and his pink nose and feet gradually changed to black; at about 30 days, his eyes and ears opened, and he begun responding to his environment and the people who cared for him; at about 40 days, the cub began to teethe; at about 90 days, his walking improved with lots of exercise to strengthen his hind legs.
This increased mobility and independence allowed for his move from the Wildlife Health Centre to the polar bear house on Jan. 26.
The cub now needs a name so the zoo is holding a naming contest, which runs until March 16. Names can be submitted at www.facebook.com/TheTorontoZoo and on www.torontozoo.com
Voting on a short-list will start mid-March and the selected name will be announced on March 31.